Skip to main content

Search

My Visit
Donate
Home Smithsonian Institution

Site Navigation

  • Visit
    • Museums and Zoo
    • Entry and Guidelines
    • Maps and Brochures
    • Dine and Shop
    • Accessibility
    • Visiting with Kids
    • Group Visits
      • Group Sales
  • What's On
    • Exhibitions
      • Current
      • Upcoming
      • Past
    • Online Events
    • All Events
    • IMAX & Planetarium
  • Explore
    • - Art & Design
    • - History & Culture
    • - Science & Nature
    • - Innovation & Tech
    • Collections
      • Open Access
      • Snapshot
    • Research Resources
      • Libraries
      • Archives
        • Smithsonian Institution Archives
        • Air and Space Museum
        • Anacostia Community Museum
        • American Art Museum
        • Archives of American Art
        • Archives of American Gardens
        • American History Museum
        • American Indian Museum
        • Asian Art Museum Archives
        • Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, African Art
        • Hirshhorn Archive
        • National Anthropological Archives
        • National Portrait Gallery
        • Ralph Rinzler Archives, Folklife
        • Libraries' Special Collections
    • Podcasts
    • Stories
  • Learn
    • For Caregivers
    • For Educators
      • Art & Design Resources
      • Science & Nature Resources
      • Social Studies & Civics Resources
      • STEAM Learning Resources
      • Professional Development
      • Events for Educators
      • Field Trips
    • For Students
    • For Academics
    • For Lifelong Learners
  • Support Us
    • Become a Member
    • Renew Membership
    • Make a Gift
    • Volunteer
      • Smithsonian Call Center
      • Ambassador Program
      • Museum Information Desk
      • Docent Programs
      • Behind-the-Scenes
      • Digital Volunteers
      • Participatory Science
  • About
    • Our Organization
      • Board of Regents
        • Members
        • Committees
        • Reading Room
        • Bylaws, Policies and Procedures
        • Schedules and Agendas
        • Meeting Minutes
        • Actions
        • Webcasts
        • Contact
      • Museums and Zoo
      • Research Centers
      • Cultural Centers
      • Education Centers
      • General Counsel
        • Legal History
        • Internships
        • Records Requests
          • Reading Room
        • Tort Claim
        • Subpoenas & Testimonies
        • Events
      • Office of Human Resources
        • Employee Benefits
        • How to Apply
        • Job Opportunities
        • Job Seekers with Disabilities
        • Frequently Asked Questions
        • SI Civil Program
        • Contact Us
      • Office of Equal Opportunity
        • EEO Complaint Process
        • Individuals with Disabilities
        • Small Business Program
          • Doing Business with Us
          • Contracting Opportunities
          • Additional Resources
        • Special Emphasis Programs
      • Sponsored Projects
        • Policies
          • Combating Trafficking in Persons
          • Animal Care and Use
          • Human Research
        • Reports
        • Internships
    • Our Leadership
    • Reports and Plans
      • Annual Reports
      • Metrics Dashboard
        • Dashboard Home
        • Virtual Smithsonian
        • Public Engagement
        • National Collections
        • Research
        • People & Operations
      • Strategic Plan
    • Newsdesk
      • News Releases
      • Media Contacts
      • Photos and Video
      • Media Kits
      • Fact Sheets
      • Visitor Stats
      • Secretary and Admin Bios
      • Filming Requests

Puzzle, The Diamond

National Museum of American History

Object Details

Description
This object is named The Diamond but other photographs of what appear to be the same puzzle show packaging labeled Dream Puzzler and Wonderful Puzzler.
The Diamond is in the shape of a cuboctahedron, a fourteen sided solid figure formed from a cube by slicing off each corner along the lines that connect the midpoints of the edges of the cube that meet at the corner. A cuboctahedron is a special case of a truncated cube (see puzzle 2006.0061.13). In its solved position, The Diamond has six square faces where the truncated cube puzzle has six octagonal faces.
The square faces of the cuboctahedron are colored the same as a traditional Rubik's cube, yellow, orange, green, red, blue and white. The eight remaining faces are equilateral triangles that are colored using two different shades of pink, two different shades of purple, gold, silver, turquoise, and light green.
Unlike the Rubik’s Cube, whose six square faces are made up of nine small squares, the nine shapes that make up the square faces of The Diamond include one small square, four pentagons, and four very small right triangles. The eight triangular faces of The Diamond is made up of three equilateral triangles and one hexagon. It uses the same mechanism as the Rubik’s Cube to rotate the square faces
This puzzle was made in about 1981. It is among Rubik’s Cube related items from the Cube Museum, which operated in Grand Junction, Colorado, from 1988 to 1991. For more information about about the Rubik’s Cube and other twisting puzzles that use the same or similar mechanisms see 1987.0805.01.
Reference:
TwistyPuzzles [Cuboctahedron (AKA: Diamond Cube)] website.
Location
Currently not on view
Credit Line
Gift of Cecil Smith
1981
ID Number
2006.0061.09
catalog number
2006.0061.09
accession number
2006.0061
Object Name
puzzle
Physical Description
paper (overall material)
plastic (overall material)
Measurements
overall: 5.5 cm x 8.5 cm x 8.5 cm; 2 5/32 in x 3 11/32 in x 3 11/32 in
See more items in
Medicine and Science: Mathematics
Science & Mathematics
Twisting Puzzles
National Museum of American History
Subject
Mathematical Recreations
Mathematics
Record ID
nmah_1301122
Metadata Usage (text)
CC0
GUID (Link to Original Record)
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746ab-dcf6-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

Related Content

  • Playtime: Toys, Games, and Puzzles

Diamond Puzzle
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
View manifest View in Mirador Viewer

Footer logo

Link to homepage

Footer navigation

  • Contact Us
  • Job Opportunities
  • Get Involved
  • Inspector General
  • Records Requests
  • Accessibility
  • EEO & Small Business
  • Shop Online
  • Host Your Event
  • Press Room
  • Privacy
  • Terms of Use

Social media links

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn

Get the latest news from the Smithsonian

Sign up for Smithsonian e-news

Get the latest news from the Smithsonian

Email powered by BlackBaud (Privacy Policy, Terms of Use)
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Back to Top